Pakistani-American doctor faces the music for huge fraud in US Heathcare

DALLAS A Pakistani origin American doctor, an owner and operator of community mental health centers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dr, Zahid Imran has broken all the records of fraud in the American health department.

After proof of $258.5 million fraud, the court convicted and sentenced him seven year in jail and a fine of $43.5 million.

His accomplices in this fraud were also sentenced. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson of the Middle District of Louisiana imposed the sentence.

The FBI , Health Department and Inspector General Louisiana had file a case in the courts of Louisiana where for doctor’s role in a $258 million Medicare fraud scheme regarding psychiatric services that were unnecessary or never actually provided and hefty payments were taken from the American health department.

As part of the scheme, Dr, Zahid Imran admitted mentally ill patients to the facilities, some of whom were inappropriate for partial hospitalization, and then re-certified the patients’ appropriateness for the program in an effort to continue to bill Medicare for services.

Imran and others falsified patient treatment records to reflect services on dates when no such services were provided.

The investigation of three community mental health centers; Shifa Community Mental Health Center of Baton Rouge (Shifa Baton Rouge), Serenity Center of Baton Rouge (Serenity Center), and Shifa Community Mental Health Center of Texas (Shifa Texas) were used in fraud which has resulted in the convictions of 17 individuals employed by the facilities, including owners and the medical director, therapists, marketers and administrators.

According to court documents, the companies billed Medicare more than $258 million over a period of seven years.

All these people have been booked for fraud and scam. According to court documents, Hunter, a resident of Houston, was paid $1,500 per week in cash to direct patients to attend the partial hospitalization program at Shifa Texas.

Hunter, in turn, paid each patient $75 per week to attend the program. In an effort to get patients admitted to Shifa Texas, Hunter instructed patients as to the types of symptoms and diagnoses to describe to physicians in order to be admitted to the program.

Hoor Naz Jafri, 54, owned and operated two communities’ mental health centers in Baton Rouge and one in Houston. She was to pay $43.5 million in restitution and serve 8-and-a-half years in federal prison for a Medicare fraud.

The case was investigated by HHS-OIG, the FBI, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Abigail Taylor and Dustin Davis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shubhra Shivpuri of the Middle District of Louisiana.

Dr. Zahid Imran belongs to Lahore in Pakistan. He received his early education from Government Center Model School Lahore. Later he obtained the MBBS degree from Quaid e Azam Medical College Bahawalpur Punjab Pakistan in 1980-1981.

Thereafter he came to America where he obtained a degree to become a Psychiatrist physician.

Dr. Zahid Imran launched an organization named “Association of Pakistan physicians for Democracy and Justice “(APPJD) in comparison to another organization of Pakistani doctors called APPNA.

Under the auspices of that he invited leading Pakistani politicians Javed Hashmi, Aitzaz Ahsan,Dr Farooq Sattar and many others to a convention. That convention was also attended by the American Pakistani Doctors.

Besides, there are several pictures of Dr. Zahid Imran with the PTI chief Imran Khan and prime minister Nawaz Sharif of various meetings.

He had special relations with the former federal minister and current PTI KPK President Azam Swati.

It should be remembered that in America there is a large number of Pakistani doctors. As a result of the American government ‘s campaign to overcome fraud and counterfeit activities many Pakistani born Americans have been nabbed so far and investigations are going on against the concerned individuals.